We Are Prepared for Them … and They Are Prepared for Us

According to Sarah Hoyt:

Strangely we’re in a MUCH better position than in the seventies. Look, the thing is the type of brain bug the OWSers seem to have was “mainstream” in the seventies. Now we look at them like they’re nuts. (They are.) The Reagan Revolution is permanent. That he took the commies down and exposed them for what they are, didn’t hurt either. Obama might be “purge or cure” for the remaining “soft communism”.

Well… One advantage the individualist side had in the 20th century is that the collectivists weren't prepared for us. Now they are. For example, they let Ronald Reagan become both prominent and conservative without taking him seriously. As I've said before:

One problem is that the usual climb to the top in politics requires a personality who believes in political power. The best way around that is to have a candidate who climbed high in the business, academic, or entertainment worlds before switching to politics. I suspect much of “political correctness” is for the purpose of ensuring that few future Reagans will come from the academic or entertainment worlds.

They're trying to make sure Reagan doesn't happen again. Right now we have a temporary advantage: They're doing so clumsily. They try taking people who show minor deviations from liberal dogma and insulting them back into the fold. It doesn't always work. I suspect they'll try gentler and more effective approaches in the future. (Another lesson: We should not make the same mistake.)